Cairo – A delegation from the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO), headed by H.E. Eng. Abdennebi Manar, Director General of the Organization, participated in the 117th Ordinary Session of the Economic and Social Council at the ministerial level. The session was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo from 1 to 5 February 2026.

The session was convened within the framework of following up on the files of joint Arab economic and social action, and discussing a number of priority issues included on the Council’s agenda, in preparation for submitting its decisions to the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level.

In his opening address, H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, underscored the pivotal role of the Economic and Social Council as one of the main pillars of the Arab joint action system. He stressed the importance of adopting practical decisions that respond to the current economic, social, and developmental challenges, foremost among them the humanitarian situations in a number of Arab countries, as well as strengthening paths of economic and social integration in a manner that serves the interests of Arab peoples and safeguards their security and stability.

For his part, H.E. the Minister of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Chair of the current (117th) session of the Council, emphasized that the convening of this session comes amid sensitive regional and international circumstances. He highlighted the need to enhance Arab solidarity and intensify coordination among Member States, with a focus on supporting comprehensive and sustainable development and building more resilient Arab economies capable of adapting to global transformations, including climate change, digital transformation, and the impacts of artificial intelligence on the future of work.

It is worth noting that the 117th session of the Economic and Social Council adopted a number of decisions related to the Arab economic and social file, as well as reports of ministerial councils and specialized committees, in addition to determining the dates and venue of the upcoming sessions, within the framework of enhancing the effectiveness of the Arab joint action system.